Ketosis is a state where the body burns ketones for fuel. The liver uses the fat in the body to produce these ketones, and because of this, it’s much easier to lose weight on the keto diet.
Let’s look at a few of the health benefits of ketosis.
1. Accelerated weight loss
As mentioned earlier, rapid weight loss comes about when you adopt the keto diet. Since your body is burning fat round the clock, you’ll be losing more fat in the same amount of time as compared to any other diet.
Besides that, you’re also consuming copious amount of fat. This encourages the body to burn fat more readily. With conventional diets, the body is more hesitant to burn its fat stores because it considers the fat as an emergency fuel store for future needs.
When you’re eating lots of fat, the body sees that there is no shortage of fat and gets rid of its ‘emergency stock’ without hesitation.
2. Disappearance of mysterious aches and pains
It’s a very common trend now to not ‘feel good’. Your muscles and joints may ache for no reason. People are feeling more aches and pains at a younger age and you may find yourself making groaning noises when you stand up from the couch, just like your grandparents used to. The only problem is that you’re half their age.
The reason our bodies are tired and achy is because of inflammation. Lethargy, depression, lack of energy, etc. are all linked to inflammation.
Inflammation is caused by a diet that is high in processed foods and carbs. When you’re on the keto diet, inflammation will decrease considerably and you’ll feel more energy and better than you ever used to.
In fact, you’ll be full of energy even if you’ve not eaten because ketones are powering your body, and there’s always fat stores for the body to tap into.
3. Better sports performance
If you’re an athlete or someone who works out regularly, you’ll notice that you can perform at a higher level when you’re on a keto diet. You’ll get tired less easily and also have more energy during your workouts. This extra exertion will translate to better results.
4. Fat adaptation
It’s a proven fact that most ultra-athletes are fat adapted and burn ketones for energy rather than fuel. One of the biggest problems people face when trying to lose weight is having to fight themselves.
Since they’re burning glucose for fuel, after a hard cardio session, their glycogen stores will be depleted. What happens next is that they crave foods high in carbohydrates.
This is why you may feel ravenous after a 45 or 60-minute cardio session. Your body needs carbs to get the glucose. If you eat the carbs, your blood sugar levels will go up and insulin will be secreted and a lot of it will end up as fat. You’d have undone your entire workout. This problem doesn’t arise when you’re in ketosis. Used up a lot of energy during your workout? No problem. Your body can tap into its fat stores for more energy. No carb cravings. No blood sugar spikes and no weight gain. Perfect.
These are just some of the benefits of ketosis. There are many more and you’ll discover what they are once you give the keto diet a try.
